Honest Beauty Calm & Renew Melting Eye Balm Versus Biossance Squalane + Marine Algae Eye Cream

Honest Beauty Calm & Renew Melting Eye Balm Versus Biossance Squalane + Marine Algae Eye Cream

This calming eye moisturizer is formulated around Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil and Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate to calm redness and hydrate skin.

This anti-aging eye moisturizer is formulated around Squalane and Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5 to soften the look of wrinkles and hydrate skin.

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride

Water

Glyceryl Behenate

Ethyl Arganate

Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil

C10-18 Triglycerides

Glycerin

Propanediol

Polyglyceryl-6 Polyhydroxystearate

Polyglyceryl-6 Polyricinoleate

Magnesium Sulfate

Butyrospermum Parkii Butter

Glyceryl Glucoside

Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate

Phytosterols

Phospholipids

Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice

Polyglycerin-6

Linoleic Acid

Citric Acid

Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate

Hydroxyacetophenone

1,2-Hexanediol

Caprylyl Glycol

Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Water, Glyceryl Behenate, Ethyl Arganate, Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil, C10-18 Triglycerides, Glycerin, Propanediol, Polyglyceryl-6 Polyhydroxystearate, Polyglyceryl-6 Polyricinoleate, Magnesium Sulfate, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Glyceryl Glucoside, Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate, Phytosterols, Phospholipids, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Polyglycerin-6, Linoleic Acid, Citric Acid, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Hydroxyacetophenone, 1,2-Hexanediol, Caprylyl Glycol

Squalane

Sorbitan Olivate

Cetearyl Olivate

Jojoba Esters

Glyceryl Stearate Se

Panthenol

Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer

Cetyl Palmitate

Spilanthes Acmella Flower Extract

Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5

Sorbitan Palmitate

Dunaliella Salina Extract

Astaxanthin

Sodium Hyaluronate

Phenoxyethanol

Ethylhexylglycerin

Tocopherol

Water, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Squalane, Glycerin, Sorbitan Olivate, Cetearyl Olivate, Jojoba Esters, Glyceryl Stearate Se, Panthenol, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Cetyl Palmitate, Spilanthes Acmella Flower Extract, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5, Sorbitan Palmitate, Dunaliella Salina Extract, Astaxanthin, Sodium Hyaluronate, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Tocopherol, Citric Acid

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Alternatives

Ingredients Explained

These ingredients are found in both products.

Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.

Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride (aka MCT Oil) is a lightweight emollient, solvent, and texture enhancer. It is considered a skin-softener by helping to prevent moisture loss.

Though it behaves like an oil, it is not technically one due to its chemical composition. One perk of this ingredient is that it is very stable, resistant to oxidation, and unlikely to go rancid.

In practice, that translates to a long shelf life and a consistently elegant skin feel.

While there is an assumption Caprylic Triglyceride can clog pores due to it being derived from coconut oil, there is no research supporting this. Just patch test if you have concerns.

Fractionated coconut oil and MCT Oil are both listed as Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride according to INCI. This is because INCI names are based on the ingredient’s final chemical composition and not its marketing name or source.

This ingredient is treated as the gold standard fungal acne safe oil. Even though it is coconut derived, the problematic lauric acid is stripped out.

This leaves just caprylic (C8) and capric (C10) acid. These chain lengths actually trend antifungal; a 2020 study found caprylic acid was enough to disrupt Malassezia furfur cell membrane, with a caprylic acid derivative damaging membrane structures at concentrations as low as 0.2%.

Citric Acid is an alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) naturally found in citrus fruits like oranges, lemons, and limes.

Like other AHAs, citric acid can exfoliate skin by breaking down the bonds that hold dead skin cells together. This helps reveal smoother and brighter skin underneath.

However, this exfoliating effect only happens at high concentrations (20%) which can be hard to find in cosmetic products.

Due to this, citric acid is usually included in small amounts as a pH adjuster. This helps keep products slightly more acidic and compatible with skin's natural pH.

In skincare formulas, citric acid can:

While it can provide some skin benefits, research shows lactic acid and glycolic acid are generally more effective and less irritating exfoliants.

Most citric acid used in skincare today is made by fermenting sugars (usually from molasses). This synthetic version is identical to the natural citrus form but easier to stabilize and use in formulations.

Rosacea skin has a lower threshold for acids generally, with 62.5% of rosacea subjects in one study reacting to lactic acid in a sting test. This is why we mark citric acid as a potential rosacea trigger.

However, this ingredient shows up as a pH adjuster or chelator at roughly 0.1-1% in many products. These low levels are unlikely to be an issue for rosacea skin and becomes a potential trigger at exfoliating concentrations (20%). Because everybody's skin is unique, we recommend a patch test if you are unsure.

Glycerin (or glycerol) is a compound naturally found in your skin. It's a powerhouse humectant that pulls water into the stratum corneum.

Topically, glycerin does several things at once:

Your skin makes glycerin on its own (mostly from sebaceous oil breakdown) and shuttles it to your outermost layer of skin, or your epidermis, via aquaporin-3.

Aquaporin-3 is a transporter that is essential for normal skin hydration, elasticity, and repair. Interestingly, mice lacking in AQP3 have dry and less elastic skin that can be fully corrected with glycerin.

This ingredient is non-irritating, plays well with almost every ingredient, and works across all skin types. Typical use is anywhere between 3-10% but can go up to 79% in some leave-on products.

Just know very high concentrations (>40%) can feel tacky in low humidity.

Glycerin is the name for this ingredient in American English. British English uses Glycerol/Glycerine.

Water. It's the most common cosmetic ingredient of all. You'll usually see it at the top of ingredient lists, meaning that it makes up the largest part of the product.

So why is it so popular? Water most often acts as a solvent - this means that it helps dissolve other ingredients into the formulation.

You'll also recognize water as that liquid we all need to stay alive. If you see this, drink a glass of water. Remember to stay hydrated!

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